Cycle Oregon 2014 You Can Do It (We Can Help)

This year’s Week Ride offers a bigger challenge than most, due in no small part to the amount of climbing involved. A few people are wondering if they’ll be able to handle the challenge. Well, as I pointed out in the very first Cycle Oregon blog post, the answer is still a definitive “yes you can” – provided you properly prepare.

The only difference between the formula for success this year versus any other is that you’ll want to create your training plans as early as possible. The best day to do this was yesterday, but the second best day is today.

If you’ve done Cycle Oregon before, you already know the drill and what to expect. If you haven’t, don’t worry. We’re here to help – so are your fellow riders. If you’ve got questions, feel free to respond to blog posts, post them on our Facebook page or visit the forums. This really is a community that welcomes new folks with open arms and takes care of its own.

Each month we’ll publish training guidelines that will help you get your body ready for the Week Ride. March guidelines can be found here. You’d also be well served to skim the training guidelines from past years to get a good idea of the sort of progression you’ll follow for the next several months, so you can budget your time accordingly. This year’s regimen will be different, but it won’t be that different, and the overall time commitment will be similar. Training tips are archived in the “Preparation” section of the blog.

If you’re new to cycling in general, you’ll be richly rewarded by learning about nutrition for endurance cycling, basic bike maintenance, riding in a group, and any other aspect of the sport that leads to greater understanding and appreciation (to my shock, I completely got hooked on watching the Tour de France when training for my first Cycle Oregon, and I’ve been a Tour junkie ever since).

Learning all this new stuff is an important part of the journey and the fun. Here are some places to help you get started:

Helpful Blog Posts

The importance of bike fit
Rules of the road/general cycling safety
Pre-ride bike check
How to shift
How to fix a flat tire
Eating for endurance
Eating for recovery
How to avoid the dreaded “bonk”
How to ride on gravel
Packing and getting ready for Cycle Oregon